The failure of city officials or their consultants to think big enough about the future may have set Lawrence up for a serious infrastructure problem.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission was told this week that the city needs to hold off on issuing new building permits in northwest Lawrence until officials can determine whether the city’s sewer system can handle the additional load in that area.

A major sewer study was completed just two years ago and was aimed at projecting sewer system needs for the entire community through 2010. Although that study didn’t foresee any problems in northwest Lawrence, development in that area has far exceeded what was projected in the study. In fact, Dave Wagner, the city’s assistant director of utilities, told planning commissioners Wednesday night that development in some areas already had surpassed what was projected for 2010.

What’s new? This seems to be the story far too often in Lawrence. Too many times, local officials, as well as some residents, seem determined to earn the title of “Lawrence: Home of the Little Hitters.”

The consequences of this misjudgment could be significant for the city and especially its developers and homebuilders.

Wagner noted that the city has seen some warning signs. For instance, during a recent heavy rain, a sewage pumping station at Sixth and Kentucky streets overflowed and spilled raw sewage into the Kansas River. Such events don’t make the Kansas Department of Health and Environment happy. KDHE’s displeasure, however, may be mild compared to the outcry from local residents if an overloaded city sewer system causes raw sewage to back up into their basements.

The only way to know whether the existing sewer system can handle additional development that’s pending in northwest Lawrence is to do another study. That study is expected to be completed in December. In the meantime, planners agreed to put conditions on two developments north of Sixth Street and west of Wakarusa Drive that prevent the projects from obtaining building permits until the capacity of the area’s sewers can be determined.

As City Commissioner Mike Amyx said after hearing about the city’s predicament, “We have a serious problem here.”

It’s possible that the current study will determine there isn’t a problem in northwest Lawrence and development can continue. If not, the city will have to take corrective action that may stall additional development in that area for some time.

The bottom line is that the city wouldn’t be in this situation if it had more accurately projected future development and utility needs. Local developers and builders, as well as local taxpayers, have reason to be upset by the city’s lack of foresight.